4 things to stop worrying about when pitching

1. When you send the pitch

Every time we write something about research on the best time to send a pitch, it gets great traffic. And it makes sense: It feels like one small thing you can control to increase your chances juuust a little bit. It’s almost more of a superstition than something grounded in truth.

The fact is, every journalist’s routine is different. A TV journalist on a morning show might be going through pitches at 3 a.m. Another might find that Friday at 4:45 p.m., right before they sign off for the week, is the best time for them. Others may only look at pitches when they have a story fall through and they need a quick replacement.

Even if you do manage to find the perfect time to send a pitch, it could be thwarted if the journo is traveling or on PTO, sending your pitch into a black hole.

Trying to guess the best time based on aggregate data simply isn’t worth your time. Be thoughtful about not “news dumping” before a major holiday, but otherwise, don’t stress about sending pitches at “good” or “bad” times. It probably won’t make that much of a difference.

2. Complimenting recent work

Here is the standard email opening I get:

“Hi Alison, hope you’ve been well! I loved your recent story on AI in PR. I have a related story that may be of interest …”

The line is supposed to show that you’ve done your research — and to butter up your target a bit. While journalists, like most people, are susceptible to flattery, vague and general praise won’t get you very far, especially when AI can easily supply this.

Unless you’re going to give specific commentary on a specific part of a story that truly shows you’ve read it, just skip this step and spend more time actually researching their beat and matching your pitch to it.

3. Hitting them across platforms at the same time

You send an email to your target. Then you realize they’re also active on LinkedIn. Better send them a “hey, sent you an email, wanted to make sure you saw it!” five minutes later. Then you see they’ve got their personal email address listed too, so you fire off another email.

It starts to feel a little creepy.

This isn’t to say that it’s bad to contact people on multiple platforms. However, give it some breathing space. If your first email goes unanswered, then follow up on social a few days later. It might jog their memory, and it won’t make them feel quite as smothered.

4. Not hearing anything back right away

PR is a long game. As awesome as it would be to get immediate emails back with either an acceptance or a kind and clear rejection, that’s not always how things work.

Sometimes, a journalist may have genuinely missed your first email and a follow-up can shake a reply loose a week later. Other times, a journalist may stay silent through all your follow-ups … only to circle back seven months later when they have a story that intersects with your pitch.

Remember: Many journalists use their email like a search engine, hunting through past pitches for ideas or sources long after the initial note is sent. Silence can be frustrating, but it’s sometimes the beginning of a story, not the end.

What to spend your energy on instead

So now that you can take all of these off your list of things to stress about, how do you rechannel that time and effort?

• Truly spend time exploring a reporter’s back catalog — not so you can offer a compliment, but so you truly understand the kinds of things they cover, the people they interview and the kinds of bylines they accept.
• Prep your principals for interviews. Ensure they’re available after you pitch and ready to offer an interview that provides true for the journalist and your brand.
• Think outside the box. Push beyond the sexy, A-list media and explore trade publications, local publications and creators. Building that foundation with more niche sources may help boost your GEO and boost your credibility with larger publications.

What else do you think PR pros should stop worrying so much about?

Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.